To go or not go? That is the Disney World in 2026 question

Will Disney World be less crowded in 2026?

Some of you won’t have to read very far into this. Can you comfortably afford a Disney trip even with the announced priced increases?

Then yes, go.

Each of us have only so may Disney trips in our lifetime. Some of the lucky few annual passholders can go hundreds of times. For others, it’s a few dozen. And for some, it’s only once or twice in a lifetime.

If you have the opportunity to go, the money, and the passion to go, then you should 100 percent go and enjoy the magic. Not to be too morbid about it, but you never now when your trip might be your last.

However, if your budget – or other practicalities of life – dictate that you can only go a few times and a trip in 2026 might be your only one for the next few years, then maybe you should consider waiting until 2027 or later.

Why? Because for the next little bit Disney World is not going to be as it used to be, and I’m not talking about the people still wearing their mourning clothes for the Muppets or Splash Mountain. Disney World is going through a major time of transition that means large parts of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios will be walled off for construction.

What does that mean? It means that the parks will be a little less aesthetically pleasing, but it also means the balance will be off. Disney has the capability to manage crowd levels and wait times to a certain degree. And closed areas like the Star Wars Launch Bay or Rivers of America were not drawing large crowds – that’s why they’re closed – they did, however, provide space for people to spread out.

Look at this logically, less space and the same crowds equal more congestion, longer wait times, and all the rest. I don’t know how dramatically Hollywood Studios will feel the impact, but changes have already altered the Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom experience, and Animal Kingdom still faces a major closure.

What is closed, might be closed, or is closing in 2026?

In the Magic Kingdom Rivers of America is down to make way for the news Cars mini-land and two rides. Piston Peak National Park isn’t expected to open until 2029 or even 2030 according to some sources, but I think 2028 is possible.

The Villains Land behind it will likely be 2030 at the earliest. The good news is we expect Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will reopen after a massive refurbishment in early 2026. If you time your 2026 vacation after that, it will be a major plus. Likewise, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers is expected to reopen sometime in 2026 following a major renovation. The ride closed in August of 2025, but if you want to make sure you get to try the new version, maybe plan your trip in the later half of 2026.

In Animal Kingdom, the final part of the Dinoland USA closure will take place on February 1, 2026, to make way for Pueblo Esperanza – aka Tropical Americas – conversion.

The new area will feature an Encanto-themed ride, an Indiana Jones ride, and a beautiful carousel. It’s likely to be amazing … but it ain’t happening until 2027 at the earliest. We have the new Zootopia: Better Zoogethher! show, which recently replaced It’s Tough to be a Bug, but it won’t be enough to replace an entire missing land.

At Hollywood Studios, the Muppets section of the park is gone, but the Monstropolis conversion – with what looks to be an amazing Monsters Inc. ride – won’t take place until 2027 or even 2028. Across the park, the Animation Courtyard is making way for The Magic of Disney Animation, which will resemble the real Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.

The area will feature enhanced interactive experiences, character meet and greets, and more. It will open sometime in 2026. But wait, that’s not all. The Aerosmith version of Rock and Roller Coaster will close at the end of 2025 to make way for a Muppets themed overlay. The good news? Disney announced Rock and Roller Coaster – which has been closed twice for refurbishment in recent years – will reopen in Summer 2026.

For a long-time we thought EPCOT – having gone through its long period of construction walls – was going to miss this round. However, Disney has announced its doing away with the weird projection faces on its animatronics in Frozen Ever After, which is great. However, it means that the Frozen ride – one of two premier attractions in the World Showcase – will have some downtime in 2026. If you have an Elsa and Anna loving princess in your travel party, you’d better plan around those dates. Disney recently announced the attraction will close on January 26, 2026. It is expected to reopen sometime in February 2026.

Arguments for postponing your trip

FOMO

Have you ever been in the park and just missed an opening? It suuuuuuuuucks. All this new awesomeness is right there. It’s essentially ready to go, and they just won’t take down the walls and let you in. We missed the opening of Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios by two days. Two days! A trip planned months in advance and we missed it by two days.

But that’s not all, we missed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure by about a week, and we missed the Fantasyland expansion opening by just a few days as well.

You don’t want to spend your vacation savings and then watch from afar as all these new experiences open over 18 to 24 months, and you just have to sit and read about how awesome it is. FOMO, my friends, is real.

Also, the new stuff is going to be pretty awesome. If going in 2026 means you can’t go until 2029 or 2030, maybe holding off is going to be worth it.

Crowds

I’ve seen some expert speculation that Disney thinks crowds and attendance will be down next year. They point to several deals that Disney has announced to lure guests into the under-renovation parks. There is some evidence to back that up. When its resorts are undergoing renovation, you can get better deals from Disney to draw traffic.

However, Disney just announced a slew of price increases for everything from tickets to parking to food. The price increases would negate any boost in attendance the discounts are meant to create. So, the question is, will Disney be less crowded next year? Maybe. I think it’s possible. But I think crowds will be more unpredictable.

You’ll have random times when the parks are relatively empty and other times when they are inexplicably full.

Plus, there is a significant part of the Disney guest population who won’t worry about any of the above. They’ve already booked school trips and band competitions and cheerleading competitions and senior trips and spring breaks and all of that stuff. At this point, we are fairly certain that crowd numbers will not offset other inconviences.

Finally, crowd management will be a challenge for Disney. Closed sections of the park will negate some of Disney’s extensive crowd-management data, even if they don’t throw out their old models entirely.
Where people are going and what they’re doing is going to change.

Cost

Right now, with a little planning you can book a comparable vacation at Universal for thousands of dollars less. You could do a Universal vacation in 2026 and use the savings to kickstart your Disney vacation in 2027 or 2028.

Duh, it’s Disney

Honestly, there’s no bad time to go to Disney World. You’re here. You’re reading this blog. You’ve got to love Disney to be this far in … do I have to twist your arm?

Cost, again

Disney is going to charge what the market will bear and right now, that appears limitless.

And while I haven’t run the costs through an inflation comparison, I believe Disney is more expensive now than it’s ever been.

Still, the economy is fickle. Maybe prices will come down with demand. However, if prices come down, it may mean your ability to pay has come down as well.

If you can afford it now, you might want to go ahead and go. Barring dramatic changes or catching a really good deal, Disney will only get more expensive.

There’s a long wait ahead

If you have kids, can you really wait three or four or five years to go?

Part of the Disney magic is getting to see them soak up the experiences at different stages of life. I’ve seen my kids interact with Disney at a variety of ages and loved everyone.

If you have a child that’s going to be 5 next year, don’t wait until they’re seven or eight or 10 before you go. I mean, 2030 is a long way away. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, let alone the next five years. The time to build memories – if you can – is now.